narrate

[nar-eyt, na-reyt]

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verb (used with object), nar·rat·ed, nar·rat·ing.

to give an account or tell the story of (events, experiences, etc.).

to add a spoken commentary to (a film, television program, etc.): to narrate a slide show.

verb (used without object), nar·rat·ed, nar·rat·ing.

to relate or recount events, experiences, etc., in speech or writing.

Nearby words

Origin of narrate

1650–60; < Latin narrātus (past participle of narrāre to relate, tell, say), equivalent to nār(us) knowing, acquainted with (variant of gnārus; see cognition) + -ātus -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR narrate

1. detail, recite.

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Related forms

nar·rat·a·ble, adjectivenar·ra·tor, nar·rat·er

[nar-ey-ter, na-rey-, nar-uh-] /ˈnær eɪ tər, næˈreɪ-, ˈnær ə-/, nounmis·nar·rate, verb, mis·nar·rat·ed, mis·nar·rat·ing.un·nar·rat·a·ble, adjective

un·nar·rat·ed, adjectivewell-nar·rat·ed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See describe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for narrate

Eventually, Washington learned to narrate his way through his demons.
NPR’s Smooth-Talking Millennial Whisperer|Batya Ungar-Sargon|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is to examine, narrate and let others speak for themselves.
Film Review: Documentary Explores Israeli Attitudes to the Palestinian Nakba|Lisa Goldman|November 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Your voice is so distinctive, and you do narrate a lot of documentaries now.
Morgan Freeman Says WTF to GOP, Dishes on ‘Last Vegas,’ ‘12 Years a Slave,’ and Batfleck|Marlow Stern|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That is why I felt it was important to narrate a short documentary video produced by the Center for American Progress.
Winthrop Roosevelt on the Oil Boom that Threatens His Great-Great-Grandfather’s Legacy|Winthrop Roosevelt|April 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Why is she willing to narrate from the perspective of a Filipina caregiver and not, say, a Palestinian?
What's 'Legitimate' Israeli Fiction?|Sigal Samuel|March 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Were I to narrate my own story, it would startle many of the Protestants of Ireland.
An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800|Mary Frances Cusack
The special merit of these three works is that their authors were eye-witnesses and actors in the events they narrate.
The Conquest of the River Plate (1535-1555)|Ulrich Schmidt
And this is all that there is to narrate of the expedition to Eleusis.
From the Oak to the Olive|Julia Ward Howe
The stories, however, which I have to narrate, describe his better qualities.
Stories of Animal Sagacity|W.H.G. Kingston
As the anecdote will help to illustrate the relative positions of the predatory tribes of Balaclava, I will narrate it.
Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands|Mary Seacole

British Dictionary definitions for narrate

narrate

verb

to tell (a story); relate

to speak in accompaniment of (a film, television programme, etc)

Derived Formsnarratable, adjective

Word Origin for narrate

C17: from Latin narrāre to recount, from gnārus knowing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for narrate

narrate

1748, back-formation from narration or else from Latin narratus, past participle of narrare "to tell, relate, recount" (see narration). "Richardson and Johnson call it Scottish" [OED], a stigma which kept it from general use until 19c. A few mid-17c. instances are traceable to Spanish narrar. Related: Narrated; narrating.

narrate

verb (used with object), nar·rat·ed, nar·rat·ing.

verb (used without object), nar·rat·ed, nar·rat·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of narrate

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for narrate

narrate

verb

Word Origin for narrate

narrate